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Autumn/Fall Leaves |
I appreciate all the seasons and I love the time of year when the leaves
start to change colour. Although the vibrant colours of the beautiful spring
and summer flowers are now a fond memory, Autumn leaves are equally
gorgeous.
I love to see all the different colours and when you look more closely
all the diverse shapes and textures of the leaves. Underfoot if it's dry
they feel scrunchy and if it's wet they are all slippery.
When the wind blows you can hear the rustle of the dry leaves and some
get caught up and fly higher into the sky like wild confetti!
In the Fall/Autumn season we are treated to the stunning show
of reds, golds, bronze and russets to lift our spirits as the days grow
colder and shorter. I do have happy memories of Autumn that stay with me always.
There are many beautiful and lasting memories that can be made at this
time of year between children and their parents or grandparents and I
wanted to highlight some of the uses and joys to appreciate this season's
beautiful falling leaves.
There is nothing quite like standing under a large tree when its leaves
are changing color to golds and reds gazing up at the sky as the sun
is streaming through, it is truly a magical experience.
Autumn/Fall With Children
This time of year always raises memories of my childhood. My parents
always encouraged a love of the outdoors and Autumn always evokes memories
as a child walking through deep rifts of crunchy leaves holding hands with
my Mum and Dad kicking up the leaves, having fun!
We collected leaves of all shapes, colours and sizes to press, make into
a picture and learn about. To succeed in this process on a basic level all
you need is tissue paper and a very heavy book. Simply lay the leaf
between 2 layers of tissue paper then place in the middle of a heavy book,
close and leave. Before very long you will have beautifully preserved
leaves. If you wish to learn more about leaf and flower pressing this book
is a great starting point to learn how to create really lovely
personalised art from simple leaves and flowers.
The Art of Pressed Flowers and Leaves
For younger children dried leaves can be laid down on white paper,
the outline drawn and then coloured or painted in whatever
authentic or imagined colours they like!
Autumn leaves are so beautiful to paint and also to take photographs
of. They have amazing colours and shapes and are always interesting
for the artist. Such gorgeous rich colours and moods to
capture.
When older children are involved in looking at and experiencing
nature in this way it is then very educational to teach children about
the different leaves and which trees they come from.
This gorgeous book is a wonderful resource, beautiful, visual and
well organised to teach children about leaves, trees, seeds, flowers
and so much more to encourage an interest in and appreciation of
nature.
Trees, Leaves, Flowers and Seeds: A Visual Encyclopedia of the Plant Kingdom
Children and adults can enjoy making a collage of beautiful shapes
and colours together from collected Autumn leaves.
As a child, I did this activity throughout Autumn with my
parents and it was an enjoyable craft in the long dark evenings.
All we need is a large sheet of paper, a safe means of adhering
them to the paper and dried pressed leaves. The only limits are our
imagination!
Making Leaf Mould For The Garden
I heard a neighbour say the other day how he would like this
time of year if it wasn't for the leaves falling. I was
surprised to hear this as I always see this time of year as a bounty!
Fallen Leaves are a great harvest for me. Each year I eagerly
wait in anticipation for the leaves to change colour and then fall. My
task is then to gather them all up to make gorgeous
leaf mold.
I make it by first raking up all the leaves on a dry day, then I set
the mower blades on the highest setting and give a gentle mow
over to break them down into smaller pieces. This helps to speed up
the process. Next, I either place the leaves into black bags or a
simple chicken wire crate.
If they are in black bags I make holes with a fork for
drainage. If it is not raining I water them and place them out
of sight around the back of the garage. This is so easy to do and I
simply wait a year and then I have lovely crumbly free leaf mold to
mix in with potting compost and use freely on our beds and
borders!
Autumn/Fall Leaves And Wildlife
We can all enjoy the fall leaves but we should not forget about our
wildlife. I always leave piles of leaves around in the borders of the
garden in sheltered places so as not to be destroyed by strong winds.
If we add large or medium-sized logs or piles of sticks that assist
wildlife even more by providing protective cover.
Over the years I have seen blackbirds kicking these piles of leaves
around to find dinner beneath, hedgehogs taking the leaves to another
place getting ready for their winter hibernation, or even deciding
that the pile itself will make a cosy home! There are also all the unseen bugs, creatures and minibeasts who will
inhabit the leaf pile to make it their home and find some winter
comfort there.
So just a few examples of how we and our garden creatures can enjoy
and use this bountiful resource that is the fallen Autumn/Fall
leaves. How do you enjoy Autumn/Fall leaves?
Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”
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